Sex and the City fans will remember an episode from more than a decade ago, which had Carrie and Miranda gushing over cupcakes outside a New York bakery. Credited with launching a global cupcake craze, Magnolia Bakery has a newly opened branch at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, right here in Abu Dhabi. It is also the first outlet in the UAE to offer savoury selections, a trend born in the region. Cupcakes, however, are still very much on the menu.
“The franchisee in Kuwait asked for it first because it was based on the mall’s insistence on adding savoury,” says Bobbie Lloyd, the chief baking officer at Magnolia Bakery, speaking from New York. “They are partners with the Beirut franchise, which also wanted savoury. As it happened, Beirut opened first – two months ago with the savoury menu – followed by Kuwait and Doha. The Galleria also requested a savoury menu.
The decision to branch out to savoury fare in the Middle East only is also based on sufficient space – the New York locations are too small to allow any additional production on site. The same rationale applies to the tiny Dubai outlet at Bloomingdale’s in The Dubai Mall, but as and when the UAE franchisee Al Tayer secures a second, larger location in Dubai, the savoury choices will feature there.
Magnolia Bakery, The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi. Call 02 674 9380 or visit www.magnoliabakery.com. Open weekdays from 7am to 11pm, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7am to midnight and Fridays from 10am to midnight
Samantha Wood is the founder of an impartial restaurant review blog, www.foodiva.net
